Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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252. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the reason political parties are entitled to keep the allowances for Deputies who have lost the party Whip and left those parties; if he will estimate the current, total amount of those allowances since the Deputies concerned discarded or lost their party whip; if there are instances where parties have returned these moneys; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5877/15]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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This issue was debated extensively in both Houses last year during the various stages of the Oireachtas (Ministerial and Parliamentary Offices) (Amendment) Act 2014.  I set out the position very clearly at the time regarding the rationale underpinning the allowance and those reasons have not changed.

My Department does not routinely monitor the number of members of the Houses of the Oireachtas who have lost or regained a parliamentary party whip during a Dail session, and therefore does not have the information necessary to prepare the estimate sought by the Deputy.  One parliamentary party currently does not claim the full amount provided for under the legislation.